Standing in the foyer of the school, junior Aislynn Quinn looks around for a friend. She depends on rides from parents and friends because she has put off getting her license, like many of her peers.

A recent study reported in the Kansas City Star showed that fewer and fewer teenagers are jumping at the opportunity to get a driver’s license before age 18.

Another study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 73 percent of high school seniors had driver’s licenses in 2010, down from 85 percent in 1996.

Quinn obtained her instructional permit when she was 14 years old but has yet to obtain her driver’s license.

“I’ve never really been interested in driving,” Quinn said. “My parents made me get my permit, and then I never really used it.”

Quinn said she will get her license soon because of her parents.

“My parent’s deal right now is I can’t work at RenFest next year until I get my license,” Quinn said. “That’s my parent’s rule because they’re kind of mad I haven’t been driving.”

Some people speculate that this is a result of the proliferation of social media, allowing friends to interact without having to leave their homes. BBC News reported that 46 percent of 18-24 year olds would prefer Internet access over owning a car.

Freshman Jacob Campbell couldn’t wait to start driving and immediately went to get his license.

“I had my brother and sister driving before me, and I’ve always wanted to be like them,” Campbell said. “If my brother could drive, I wanted to drive. I also wanted to drive because of my dad. My dad has the highest license you can get, an A-class. [With the A-class license], he can drive pretty much anything on the road.”

Campbell enjoys the control he has as the driver.

“As the youngest child, I don’t have anything that is solely mine, but when I’m driving, I’m in charge of everyone in the car,” Campbell said. “It might not be my car, but I am responsible for the driving.”

Campbell said that others should consider getting a license sooner.

“I think [putting off your license] is stupid,” Campbell said. “If people do this, they get no experience driving, and they become a danger to everyone else.”

Harder Performance Driving School instructor Carol Harder has seen a change in the age of students in her classes. She said about half of her students this year were a year or two older than last year. She said that economic issues are a big reason why some teenagers don’t begin driving right away.

“Some parents brought in students and said they did not have the money to buy a car for the student or money for the insurance or the class,” Harder said. “[Also], the price of gas is up. Everything costs more [so] people are cutting back.”

Harder recommends that teenagers start driving as soon as possible at age 14.

“… By the time you’ve turned 17, you’ve been driving all those years and you’ll be a much better driver,” Harder said. “The more you drive, the more often you drive and the longer you drive, the better you get.”